


Sounds of the Sea

by hailspider



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, I'm attempting to explore mermaid lore, I'm writing this as I go because I'm really not much of a planner so Oop, Kinda wanna just focus on the mermaid storyline, mentions of sirens in here too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 12:22:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20174194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hailspider/pseuds/hailspider
Summary: The town of Beacon Hills is yet again the center of another supernatural anomaly. Men have been showing up on the beach with similar deep puncture wounds that have the town scrambling to find their serial killer. Derek has a pretty good idea of what's terrorizing the town this time around but is struggling to figure out what's compelling a mermaid to kill.





	1. Chapter 1

The rain thundered on the old bar's tin roof, each raindrop sounding like small footprints racing across to the finish line. The weatherman had predicted a downpour for the next three days in Beacon Hills and the sky didn't disappoint. A man, reeking of cheap beer and cigarette smoke, stumbled his way from the warm interior of the bar and out into the dark, wet alley. He fished into his pockets while bracing a hand against the brick wall to keep his choppy swaying from knocking him over. With a small "aha!" he produced from his pocket two things. A cigarette and a lighter. As he brought a stick to his mouth, cupping it with his hand to protect the flame from the winds and rain, he began to feel like someone was watching him. Lowering the lighter with his cigarette still perched between his lips, he decided to risk a glance over his shoulder. He was met with nothing but a dark, seemingly endless alleyway and a thundering heartbeat. Shaking his head, the old drunk turned his head back around to attempt to light his cigarette again but was interrupted by a flash of lightning and the booming thunder that followed. In front of him stood a woman where no one had been before. He blinked a couple of times to assure that he wasn't conjuring up this woman but there she stood. Soaked to the bone and wearing nothing but a thin white dress. Deciding not to push his luck and too inebriated to pay attention to the feeling crawling up his neck, the old man's thin lips curled into a smirk.

"Hasn't anyone ever told ya that it's dangerous to be alone at night?" His voice was like gravel from too many years with the nasty habit he still held between his fingers. The cigarette was far too wet to be used now but it seemed he'd found a new thing to occupy his drunk mind. The woman stood motionless as he swayed up to her and let out a dark chuckle. "Come on. why don't you let me keep you company? I'll keep ya safe." He had severely underestimated the force of the wind and as the next gust of wind rushed through the air, he was sent stumbling into the woman's arms. Grasping her waist and laughing to himself in a drunken stupor, he stood blissfully ignorant to the sudden smell of saltwater wafting through the air. The woman brought her hands up to grasp his arms, trapping the two in an awkward embrace. Giving the man her first indication of ever hearing what he'd said; she smiled. 

"You're right. You shouldn't be out here alone," the ice in her voice fell on deaf ears as the drunkard started to close in towards the woman's face. Before his lips could touch her skin, a piercing pain ripped through him. 

"Sweetheart, you're grabbing me a little tight, don't ya think?" Unfazed, his lips curled back into that damned smirk. "Trust me, I'm not going nowhere," but her grip didn't loosen. He had no idea that her perfectly trimmed nails had grown into sharp, pearlescent claws until they were sinking into his skin. Only when the smell of blood hit the air did he even think to look up at her face. She gave another smile and his hair stood up on the back of his neck at what he saw. Where her perfect smile had been, rows of jagged teeth now sat.

The man thought to scream but it died in his throat as her eyes began to shift to something much more sinister. They gave off a light blue glow that seemed to wrap around him and keep him right where she wanted. "Don't worry," she purred, bringing a hand up to trace her finger down his cheek, leaving a ribbon of blood behind. "I'll take good care of you, sailor." 

His body wasn't found until a week later when the storm had finally stopped. Everyone had assumed he was just more driftwood washing up on the shore of the beach and he hadn't had anyone to report him missing. It wasn't until the bartender had noticed he hadn't come by for his nightly drink that anyone even noticed he was gone. The police questioned the strange deep cuts that were found on both his arms but had no evidence to lead them anywhere worthwhile. And so his death was ruled an accident. A drunkard that met his unfortunate end on the stormy cliffs that riddled the beach after a long night of drinks. No one cared enough to think anything different.

Except for Derek.


	2. Chapter 2

Derek hadn't ever personally met a mermaid despite growing up in a beach-front town. He'd heard stories from his mother. They were a powerful ally and an even stronger enemy but they rarely graced the land. The lore stated a vast majority of mermaids were past victims of abuse that would tragically throw themselves to the mercy of the waters below. They would emerge a different person. Someone with the strength and ability to never be taken advantage of again. Derek used to love the stories; admired the strength of such creatures. Which was why he found it so perplexing that a mermaid would suddenly take to land and start murdering bums and alcoholics. 

Realistically, he knew that it wasn't his problem. Who cared if a couple of drunks disappeared off the street? At first, he tried to ignore the compulsion to get involved. He had other people to worry about and he couldn't risk getting his pack involved in more supernatural drama. But then he thought about his mother and the stories. He couldn't think of a single reason that such a creature would commit these crimes unprovoked. Not that had any personal experience except his boyhood admiration for them to go off of. 

So Derek got involved. He'd ask Stiles for information about the bodies in an attempt to prove himself wrong but everything was lining up in a way he dreaded. The strong smell of sea salt on each of the bodies, the identical puncture wounds on their arms, and the fact that each body had been disposed of by the beach. One drunk man washing up on a beach was one thing but four men? That was a pattern. And one Sheriff stiles didn't seem too keen on investigating.

"What the hell are you doing?" Derek's low voice cut through the air as he watched the Sheriff ponder over a board pinned with evidence. 

"What the h- God damn it, Derek! A man's office is his safe space!" Noah glanced over at his office door and saw it was still shut. "How the hell did you even get in here?" He exclaimed, obviously flustered. He never could get used to the fact that he regularly associated with supernatural creatures. "Scratch that," he added begrudged. 

"You called the FBI here?" Derek accused harshly.

"Son, I don't get a say on if the suits show up here. Agent McCall pulled some strings when he heard about the rumors. They were here when I came in this morning." Noah didn't seem too happy about the FBI's presence here either but neither of them could deny the way the cases looked. Four men, all disposed of in the same place, killed the same way, all with traces of ocean water in their lungs and five puncture wounds on each arm. It was pretty damning of a serial killer. If Noah hadn't been exposed to the supernatural elements at play in Beacon Hills - he would've been convinced too. 

"You and I both know this isn't some guy with a vendetta against old drunks," Derek glanced behind him when heard two cops pass by the office. He turned back to Stilinski when they had disappeared behind a corner. "They won't be able to stop the killer with handcuffs or bullets." 

Noah gave Derek a tight-lipped smile as he released a heavy sigh. From the dark circles underneath his eyes and the three empty coffee cups on his desk, it was obvious he'd been working non-stop. "Hell, when isn't that the case anymore?" He dropped into his seat behind the desk and gave the board a dismissive gesture. "Do you mind explaining to me what the hell it is?" A dark look crossed his feature and he brought his hand up to rub at his forehead. "Do I even want to know?" 

"It's a mermaid," Derek said definitely but all Noah did was nod without looking up at him. He'd stopped reacting to every outlandish thing Stiles and Co would tell him but that didn't mean it didn't stop giving him one hell of a headache. "They're historically peaceful. I can't understand what would cause one to go dark like this-" Derek shook his head as his eyes went over every piece of evidence displayed on the board. 

"Aren't mermaids historically known for killing sailors and pirates too?" Noah mumbled under his breath. 

"No. No, those are sirens. They're spiteful and feed off of men's desires by using them to lure the men to their death." Derek heard the sheriff murmur a small 'oh, my mistake' but elected to ignore it. "Mermaids aren't like that. They're broken souls that were given a second chance at life by the ocean. They live by a moral system and killing isn't part of that." While he couldn't argue that people, even supernatural beings, weren't corruptible. But he couldn't scratch this itch that something was wrong. That there was something he was missing. 

"And... You want me to find the motive of a crazy mermaid on a murder spree?" Noah lifted his head and let out a bitter laugh. "What? They're pissed about plastic straws so they decided to take out a couple of drunks to get back at society?" He got a good chuckle from the thought. 

"Are you done?" Noah's mouth shut at Derek's tone. "Forget it, I'll go talk to Deaton. See what he knows." Before Noah could open his mouth to argue, Derek was gone.


End file.
